Susannah Randall

Creating the best online team away day in 2021

7 May 2021

Given how tough and wearing the last few months have been for many teams, it may be tempting to give your team away day a swerve this year. But with the right approach and planning, some time together could help provide the re-set, re-focus and energy your team needs – even if like so much else this year, it’s likely to be online...

Beyond the organogram – How to build a stronger audience focus

15 December 2020

In our recent soundings with charity comms team leaders, several cited a stronger audience focus as the driver for a team re-structure. Others shared insights around how to achieve this through team culture and different ways of working. Here’s how some charities are approaching this goal...

Beyond the organogram – How to protect and enhance your team spirit when working remotely

8 December 2020

We asked 14 charity comms leaders to share their experience of how their team has fared during the pandemic. Did they think their teams were as connected and effective as before?...

Four focus points for strengthening team wellbeing

10 December 2019

How do we as charity communicators create the right team environment for individuals to thrive? Research on teams repeatedly highlights the same four key areas...

Where Elvis went wrong – and how health charities can get it right

24 April 2015

Elvis asked for, “A little less conversation, a little more action.” Yet anyone who has run a communications campaign that has resulted in changes to professional practice will know ‘conversation’ and ‘action’ are inextricably linked. You often need one to achieve the other. This is one of the take home messages from a new guide […]

Influencing government spending in a time of austerity

21 February 2014

At the Liberal Democrat party conference in 2013, it was announced that the coalition government would extend free school meals to all infant school pupils. The party’s Education Minister David Laws was able to show that some children living in poverty were not eligible for them, whilst others who were eligible were opting out due […]

Charity communicators will only succeed if they have the headspace to plan

4 October 2012

“Think ahead. Don’t let day-to-day operations drive out planning” – Donald Rumsfeld It’s not often I quote Donald Rumsfeld, but last week’s Communications Managers' Workshop’ workshop has prompted this extreme measure. Like all CharityComms events it was full of insights and ideas, but it was the discussions between the delegates that proved an eye-opener for […]

Bridging the gap: how Jenny Grey developed a cross-sector career

11 September 2012

Having spent four years in Whitehall as executive director of government communications, Jenny Grey leaves this month to head up corporate communications for Citigroup. Her move to the private sector follows previous senior communications roles at Cancer Research UK, the Audit Commission and the Cabinet Office. With a career that straddles the charity and public […]

Does your charity have the Obama effect?

2 August 2012

In just four years, social networks have helped to elect the first US black President, toppled several middle eastern regimes, created the world’s youngest billionaire and temporarily closed down St Paul’s Cathedral. Charities that understand the power of the social network, also know that the most sophisticated of communications strategies reflect a timeless truth: you […]

Reshape your content on a tighter budget

10 November 2011

As many organisations attempt to juggle diminishing communications budgets around increasingly ambitious goals, Susannah Randall and Catherine Raynor from Randall Fox share some simple tips for re-shaping content to create more impact. 1. Create a talking point The more you can identify what your audiences are interested in, and how this relates to your work, the […]

Target your audiences on a tighter budget

20 October 2011

Success in communications is not always about splashing your budget, says Susannah Randell from agency Randall Fox It’s budget planning time again and I am sensing that the ‘achieve more with less’ line is starting to wear a bit thin. But success in communications is not always about splashing your budget. Pressures on budgets can […]